Markets these days are flooded with Processed Food, and people are consuming it relentlessly. But, before buying processed food for yourself and your loved ones, you should be well aware of its disadvantages and all the health risks it carries. There are two types of food processing: mechanical food processing and chemical food processing.

Mechanical processing involves grinding, heating or pasteurizing. These processes do not make food unhealthy and are sometimes necessary.

And chemical processing refers to the addition of refined ingredients and artificial substances. These chemicals are flavouring agents, colours and sweeteners, which carry less nutritional value and are harmful to the health.

Chemically processed foods are harmful to your health and cause many health problems. A few search problems are mentioned below:

1. Anxiety and Depression: Consumption of processed food affects serotonin production. Serotonin is a mood stabilizer, negatively affecting the body’s ability to maintain mental stability.
2. Colorectal Cancer: Processed meats, including lunch meat, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, etc., are chemically treated for preservation and can cause colon cancer. The risk of cancer comes either from the chemicals that are used to preserve the meat or from the cooking process by which the meat is preserved.
3. Autoimmune Diseases: In this disease body’s immune system starts attacking its own cells. Your immune system confuses the healthy cells as unhealthy. There are a number of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, etc.
4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Processed food can cause inflammatory bowel disease. Emulsifiers are the main reason for this disease. Emulsifiers are chemical additives used to extend food products’ shelf life. They are found in a majority of food products, including bread, cake mixes, peanut butter, salad dressings, sauces, yogurt, processed cheese, etc.
5. Metabolic Syndrome: It refers to a group of risk factors that can lead to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.  When refined carbohydrates are consumed in huge quantities, the sugar must be stored in the body, typically as fat which may lead to several metabolic consequences.
6. Obesity: Consuming highly processed foods, usually high in sugar, causes obesity, which is the reason for many other chronic diseases. This sugar adds no nutritional value and only contains carbohydrates and calories, which are basically empty calories and are not healthy.

Home-made fresh, healthy food is always the best option for those who want a happy life and should always prefer it over market-based processed and packaged food.

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